ABSTRACT
The institutional response to sexual exploitation and abuse can be described as reactive, often following significant allegations of sexual abuse exposed by world media or international non-governmental organisations. The first substantial United Nations (UN) initiative followed media reports in 2004 highlighting sexual abuse of refugees by UN and humanitarian aid workers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Anti-essentialism and intersectionality focus on the context in which gender discrimination exists. This feminist lens favours bottom-up approaches to accountability, centralising the interests of victims of violence and their communities. The rhetoric of "justice being seen to be done" is a crucial element of the principle of open justice–the public administration of justice. The UN's policy of host state ownership and the involvement and support of the local population should be factors when assessing various ways to improve the accountability of UN peacekeepers. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
